kscans

Chapter 879 - The Sparks Never Cease to Fly

The prevailing theory is that time in the event-exclusive field, Alvniclo, the Mirror-Faced Sky World, remains frozen, except for the one hundred and twenty-six hours when players are allowed inside.

The reason is simple. When the participants of the first event returned for the second, their respective bases greeted them in the exact same state they had been left in.

In Arcadia, every single "thing" has a status, without exception. Even a common stone will pop up with its name and flavor text if a player taps it, and a Magic Crafter's discerning eye can even perceive its numerical data.

For materials, for example... you'll see simple stats like [Rarity], [Quality], and [Weight].

Weapons also generally have three stats listed—[Grade], [Weight], and [Durability]—though it seems this isn't a strict rule.

In any case, the crucial element for the time-stop theory in Alvniclo is one thing: the [Durability] value that is almost always inscribed on any player-made item.

As is common in this game, items not stored in one's inventory... or rather, any "thing" with durability, will degrade over time without exception.

This, of course, includes frequently used weapons, but for combat-oriented players, other items like potions and certain enemy-dropped materials are also things that require careful storage to prevent degradation.

It's an annoying feature, but it's not worth complaining about since you just have to store your important things. In fact, being able to perfectly preserve them just by tossing them into your personal inventory or an expanded storage like a clan home is a breeze compared to the real world.

...However, there are things you can't possibly store, or rather, things that lose their meaning if they're not out in the open—and that is none other than buildings.

Well, it's a very simple matter.

When we returned to our base for the second event, the durability of the buildings had barely budged from what it was at the end of the first. That's all there was to it.

"Is this tied to some deep lore, or is it just the devs cutting us some slack..."

"Hahaha... well, well, it's a real blessing that we don't have to start every event with a frantic repair festival. —Right then, shall we quickly throw up a couple of boxes?"

After the predictably chaotic greeting, I decided to just leave the pandemonium be. Our group had the leeway; there were no pressing tasks that needed immediate attention.

The base, which had been built and destroyed, built and destroyed through trial and error, had now expanded to a scale several times larger than its first final stage. We had even anticipated the new influx of members and built residential areas in advance during the second phase, so there was no need to scramble with construction.

So, I found myself chatting peacefully with Oaks, the "foreman," a companion from the very first event. He's a nice guy with a sturdy build and a beard that suits him, a former axe warrior.

"Yeah. As for the location... I guess just putting it with the other girls' places is fine."

"Got it. Man, my hands are trembling with excitement."

"Shouldn't that be 'I'm itching to get started'?"

"Nah, they're trembling. Huh? They are. Am I really the one building this?"

"I'm counting on you, Foreman. You're one of them now, aren't you?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no..."

As for why I call him "former," it's because Oaks here completely changed his playstyle four months ago after the first event. He made a magnificent transition from being combat-focused to a dedicated, construction-main Magic Crafter.

And how dedicated is he? Apparently, the guy apprenticed himself to a real-life construction foreman. Even I was shocked when I heard how he'd taken such a drastic step.

Now, it's common knowledge in Arcadia that real-world knowledge can be incredibly effective in all sorts of fields. And it's an undeniable truth that overflowing passion and motivation are what truly propel Arcadia players to new heights.

Thus, Oaks showed explosive growth in just four months. The man who was once a self-proclaimed 'shabby survival-craft-hobbyist old-man axe warrior,' what do you think he's doing now?

He's apprenticed to the great master of construction-type Magic Crafters, the current eighth seat of the Western Faction, [Big Spender] Oz-ji, and is being trained by him directly. Congratulations on graduating from being a regular player.

"I'm too scared to touch the interior without your input, so I'd be grateful if you could be there for a consultation. Please. I'm begging you. Please...!"

"Okay, okay! I get it. Alright, fine, counting on you...!"

He's changed, yet he hasn't.

He's skilled and generally reliable, but he tends to be strangely humble, or rather, timid... yielding to the pressure from the foreman with a certain endearing charm (who is still in training), I accepted his request and sent the muscular avatar, who looked to have twice my mass, on his way.

He's definitely more muscular now than he was as an axe warrior. How does that even work—

"Ah, Haru-san, long time no see. Is the foreman good to go? Is it my turn?"

"Oh? Yeah, we're all good. What's up?"

He must have been waiting for our conversation to end. As I turned to the new voice, I saw a familiar face from the first event, wearing a pleasantly casual smile.

"I was thinking we'd start hunting Stardust Beasts (Lim) right away. Is that a problem?"

This was Rizenon, a former great-hammer wielder and our [Eto Mori] group's number one expert in Lim subjugation. He, like the foreman, has had quite the career advancement...

"Should be fine, right? Ah, but that said—"

"Yeah, I know. Secure a minimum amount of food, focus on scouting, and no over-hunting. No problem."

Apparently, just the other day, he made it to the Top 8 in a rather massive event called the [Lim Knight Tournament], which was exclusively for mounted combat on Stardust Beasts (Lim).

For the record, the tournament had about a thousand participants, including the preliminaries, and a good number of them were hardcore combat players.

...In other words, he who skillfully and bravely rode a giant boar, smashing through a crowd of powerful foes with the might of his great hammer, is also an undeniable member of the 'graduated from regular players' club.

Yes, a member of the 'graduated from regular players' club.

"Okay, perfect, no problem. I'll leave it to you."

"You got it. Hope we can have a lavish feast right from the first day this time, too."

Which is to say, it doesn't end with Rizenon, who cheerfully exchanged a thumbs-up with me before briskly turning on his heel, gathering his comrades, and heading out to hunt.

Gamecchi over there apparently made it pretty far in the recent Eastern Faction selection match for the Four Pillar War, and Polmetheus, who's over there reverently watching the Nono-Nia interaction with a friend, has supposedly been spending his days training in the 'Infinite Sparring' mode.

I hear plenty of heroic tales from the members who joined in the second event, but as for the crew from the first event, it's pretty much all of them. In some way, shape, or form, every one of them has one or both feet outside the category of a regular player.

They've crossed the line.

"...Man, I miss how things were in the beginning."

And so, as the figurehead leader and all-around hype man...

I, the Acrobat, the ultimate anomaly who, by some twist of fate, ended up mixed in with a circle of regular players who were just supposed to be enjoying a peaceful event that day, have only one wish.

That everyone's ultra-revolution is in no way my fault.

"What are you getting all sentimental for? We're making furniture. Get to work."

"Come to think of it, Natsume-senpai might be the most normal one of all here..."

"Huh? Are you making fun of me?"

That is all.